Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the issue of reparations during a meeting with US President Donald Trump. According to him, the Ukrainian side insists on receiving compensation from Russia for the country’s reconstruction, but the US prefers the term “compensation” instead of “reparations.”
This is reported by Finway
Ukraine’s Position on Reparations and Support from Partners
Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine needs financial assistance to rebuild the state after the destruction caused by the war. According to the president, obtaining funds is crucial, regardless of what international partners call it: “reparations” or “compensation.”
“First and foremost, we are interested in Russia giving us money, so that it is reparations. Americans call it not reparations, but compensations, because I think they don’t really like the word reparations, to be honest. But for us, it is important to receive money to restore our state,” the head of state emphasized.
The president also noted that the issue of reparative loans has already been agreed upon with European partners, while most frozen Russian assets are under the jurisdiction of the EU.
EU Financial Assistance and Plans for Fund Utilization
Zelensky reported that Ukraine expects to receive the first 100 billion hryvnias over the next two years in equal installments. He stressed that these funds will be directed towards the reconstruction of the state if the war ends, or for defense needs in case hostilities continue.
At the same time, European Union leaders have decided to allocate 90 billion euros to Ukraine over the next two years in the form of a loan secured by the EU budget. This decision differs from the reparative loan that had been actively discussed earlier and was supposed to be funded from the income and balances of frozen Russian assets. The total amount of such assets in Europe is estimated at approximately 210 billion euros.
During negotiations with Zelensky, US President Donald Trump stated that Russia “wants Ukraine to succeed” and is allegedly ready to assist in the country’s reconstruction. This statement came against the backdrop of massive Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
At the same time, Russia categorically opposes any attempts to confiscate its frozen assets, calling the possible use of these funds for Ukraine “theft.”